An electronic queue management system for implementation on a chip. The queue management system comprises a plurality of primitive queue elements each including a register for a next-pointer and a register for a queue number. The next-pointer values may be selected via a register input and can be fed out via a registered output. Such queue elements are associated with a respective entry in a central array which stores the data belonging to the actual request. The separation of the data array and queue elements facilitates queue management as the data amounts are quite large compared to the small amount of data being required for the pre logic of the queue management system. Multiple add requests and multiple remove requests operations for different queue elements may be concurrently achieved in a single cycle.
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1. An electronic Queue management system usable in electronic systems comprising: means for receiving n possible requests sent by p requestors, said requests being queueable to m resources, means for implementing m queue base units, each base unit being associated with a respective resource and representing a top of a fixed queue for that resource; means for implementing n queue elements, each freely associable for forming a queue for a resource, each of said n queue elements capable of being associated with a request, each request being associated with either a queue base unit or a queue element, and each queue base unit and queue element having a pointer means for pointing to a next-queue element each time a request is added to a queue formed for a resource; and add-request and remove-request input line means accessible by each queue base unit or a queue element for handling multiple concurrent requests including the addition of a request to be placed in a queue, and concurrent removal of a queued request in a single cycle; wherein said base units are associable with a next-queue element representing a request, said next-queue element being encoded to be associated with one of said next-queue elements, whereby said queue management system performs without centralized controller logic.
2. The system according to claim 1 , comprising an array arranged for receiving commands and data associated with each requests, and each of said requests being associated with a binary number representing address information for accessing said request in said array.
3. The system according to claim 2 , further comprising: a remove channel for handling concurrent remove-request operations from a queue, said remove channel comprising a multiplexer means for providing the next-queue element pointer of a queue element to be removed during a remove-request operation in an operating cycle, and a register means having an output for providing said next-queue element pointer at its output in order to check in the same cycle if the queue element being associated with said next-queue element pointer is also to be removed.
4. The system according to claim 3 , further comprising an arrangement of multiple, independently operating remove channels, each remove channel supplying the value of the next-queue element pointer associated with the subsequent element in the queue which may be additionally removed by any remaining remove channel.
5. The system according to claim 1 comprising an arrangement for performing multiple Adds in which arrangement all next-pointers associated with a respective element to be added can be computed in a separate step prior to the actual Add.
6. A computer implementing an integrated circuit comprising an electronic queue management system, said queue management system comprising: means for receiving n possible requests sent by p requestors, said requests being queueable to m resources, means for implementing m queue base units, each base unit being associated with a respective resource and representing a top of a fixed queue for that resource; means for implementing n queue elements, each freely associable for forming a queue for a resource, each of said n queue elements capable of being associated with one of said n possible requests, each request being associated with either a queue base unit or a queue element, and each queue base unit and queue element having a pointer means for pointing to a next-queue element within the queue associated with a respective resource; and add-request and remove-request input line means accessible by each queue base unit or a queue element for handling multiple concurrent requests including the addition of a request to be placed in a queue, and concurrent removal of a queued request in a single cycle; wherein said base units are associable with a next-queue element representing a request, said next-queue element being encoded to be associated with one of said next-queue elements, whereby said queue management system performs without centralized controller logic.
7. An electronic circuit implemented on a chip comprising a queue management system, said queue management system comprising: means for receiving n possible requests sent by p requestors, said requests being queueable to m resources, means for implementing m queue base units, each base unit being associated with a respective resource and representing a top of a fixed queue for that resource; means for implementing n queue elements, each freely associable for forming a queue for a resource, each of said n queue elements capable of being associated with one of said n possible requests, each request being associated with either a queue base unit or a queue element, and each queue base unit and queue element having a pointer means for pointing to a next-queue element within the queue associated with a respective resource; and add-request and remove-request input line means accessible by each queue base unit or a queue element for handling multiple concurrent requests including the addition of a request to be placed in a queue, and concurrent removal of a queued request in a single cycle; wherein said base units are associable with a next-queue element representing a request, said next queue element being encoded to be associated with one of said next-queue elements, whereby said queue management system performs without centralized controller logic.
8. A method for distributed queue management usable in electronic systems, said method comprising the steps of: a) receiving add and remove requests communicated by p requestors to be queued to m resources; b) providing m queue base elements, each being associated with a top of a queue, each queue controlling a respective resource; and c) providing n queue elements, each of said queue elements capable of being associated with a received request; and, d) linking a queue base element with a next element representing a first received request to be added for a resource, and subsequently forming a queue of linked next elements starting at a respective queue base for all subsequent requests for that resource, e) enabling access to each queue base unit or a queue element for handling multiple concurrent requests including the addition of a request to be placed in a queue, and concurrent removal of a queued request in a single cycle; wherein each queue element is autonomic and functions in parallel with the other queue elements, in a manner such that any queue base unit together with linked staid next queue elements form the associated queue, said queue management system performing without centralized controller logic.
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May 11, 2000
June 29, 2004
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